Architecture is in Crisis and sustainable design | Nicolas Duval | TEDxUniversityofNicosia

hello so how will we be living in the future well the future is here the technology available today is radically transforming architecture as we know it buildings traditionally conceived as substantial and Static are now developing new qualities intelligence in the same way our phones have become smart we now talk of smart homes smart buildings and even smart cities by embedding technology into architectural elements walls floors ceilings are now able to interact with the built environment for example your smartphone can signal you to lower the blinds in your living room because it sends an increase of temperature it can inform you on ways to change your habits in order to be more efficient that's wonderful or is it there's all this technological progress define real progress architecture is in crisis it has lost its relevance Architects were once considered master builders working to produce socially and environmentally compatible buildings have now become preoccupied by by producing consumable brandable images avid about incorporating the latest technology into their designs and promoting signature styles and that's just this that's just a successful few most architects are constrained by commercial obligations reduced by standardization and globalization it's the story truth of a society based disproportionately on economic growth disregarding other equally important values social responsibility and the preservation of our environment neglecting these values are we not disconnecting ourselves from something bigger let me share with you what motivates me and what concerns me as an architect and generally as a human being I remember as a child once staring at a constellation of stars so dense I could feel the spherical dimension I wasn't just looking at the flat ceiling of the sky but rather experiencing the Dome of the universe so he meant yet so accessible it was there it was a magical moment that left me feeling truly connected it connected my it's defined my connection to a world and certainly define my connection my attitude as a creative person nature has always been my greatest source of inspiration influencing the way I view geometry rhythm and light I'm concerned though that our society is losing touch with the Stars literally urban areas are so inappropriately and inefficiently lighted our cities overpowered the darkness they are less present we notice them less we forget they exist cities suffer from light pollution and like other forms of pollution it's bad for you and the environment research suggests that artificial light at night disrupting the natural cyclical rhythm of night and day our biological clock can negatively affect human health increasing risks for sleep disorders depression obesity and more it's ironic when you think that the electrical light was one of the most important technologies to bring about modern progress technology and design do hold answers to the future but I want answers that will help us create a better future one the we'll include my son looking at the sky and reaching for the stars unfortunately our accelerated modern day lives hyper-connectivity an information overload have disconnected us from the bigger picture we are constantly distracted according to the global footprint Network today humanity uses the equivalent of one-and-a-half planets to supply our resources and absorb our waste at this current rate we will need 2 planets by 2030 and by 2050 3 are you familiar with the term ecological footprint an ecological footprint measures how fast we consume resources and how quickly we generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste and produce new energy when a country has an ecological footprint that exceeds it by our capacity or it's biologically productive areas this is a bio capacity deficit France has biocapacity deficit of 41 percent the u.s. 90 Greece 160 and the UK 200 percent by the way Cyprus has a bio capacity deficit hold your breath yeah 930 percent so a few questions are we sustainable at this rate can we continue this behavior indefinitely is there some super technology that will magically fix this mess we've made obviously the answer is absolutely not and what's worse is that the damage that's been done is irreversible the only way we can stop the damage progressing is by changing our behavior no magic spell no wand we must return to a more sustainable way of life and this requires an understanding of the basics of sustainability sustainability demands an awareness of the three interconnected systems the largest and most vital system is the biosphere our environment it carries within it the social system which in turn carries the economic system what's important here to understand is the hierarchy of relevance in a failing economy we would suffer in a failing society we would suffer more in a failing environment we're doomed the other equally important notion to grasp is the tight interconnection between the systems in an economic crisis in a recession what priority would be given to reducing carbon emissions won't the environment be affected in a social crisis in a war what priority would be given to reducing unemployment economy there - will be affected each system depends on the other to be truly sustainable we must ensure that all three systems are sustainable as a human I express my concern and promote the values of sustainability as much as I can as an architect I choose to practice sustainable architecture what is sustainable architecture the state of architecture is about taking an integrated holistic approach to the environmental social and economic issues within a project let me illustrate how this works first to address the needs of the environmental system we must follow this simple concept reduce energy demand by implementing energy-saving measures and reducing waste use renewable energy sources such as wind solar and biomass and reduce fossil fuels to a strict minimum buildings must become zero energy or energy neutral buildings that consume approximately as much energy as they can produce on-site with renewable energy sources reducing energy demand can be achieved by well insulating the building but also by using passive systems benefiting from direct solar energy in winter is incredibly effective free and frankly pleasant wind power can be utilized throughout the summer for cooling take this traditional East Mediterranean house for instance the difference of temperature between the hot paved areas and the cooler planted areas creates a breeze by convection that flows through the house add water and by evaporation drop the temperature a few more degrees that's my definition of a smart home to address the needs of the social system we must improve the quality of our habitats at the scale of the building quality refers to improving the health and comfort provided by our buildings I think it's safe to say that we all try and live healthier lives ok here in Cyprus we indulge in a souvlakia but generally most of us try and eat balanced and nutritious diet we do some sport or physical activity to keep our bodies in shape we may read books or go to the theatre to stimulate the nourish our minds now how many people here live in healthy indoor environments 90% of our time is spent indoors that's a lot of time surely enough to justify the concern we should have about the quality of our indoor environments if I told you that in most buildings there is insufficient natural ventilation would you be surprised that the health hazards from indoor emissions are a hundred times higher compared to hazards from outdoor pollution I imagine this would surprise you by improving physical factors such as acoustics lighting humidity and temperature we improve the quality of our indoor spaces by avoiding chemical and biological factors such as VOCs found in certain paints and glues heavy metals found in water and even radioactive gases emitted by certain materials we improve the quality of our indoor spaces a building that isn't designed for the overall comfort of its inhabitants will give us headaches allergies exhaustion and extra stress resulting in complaints short an attention span and reduced productivity finally to address the economic system we must build cost-effectively cost-effective building isn't just about cutting initial costs or building cheaper it's about optimizing resources and technologies it's about questioning the use of space avoiding to build a four hundred square metre home when we can design a spatially efficient 250 square metre home it's about questioning our choice of materials again not just in terms of initial cost but in terms of durability and ongoing maintenance cost-effective building is about considering the entire lifecycle of the building it's about being aware of the initial cost and the running costs and it doesn't mean you can have the best of both worlds sustainability is not about adding expensive photovoltaic panels to the roof of a conventional inefficient building to produce energy when that investment could be put toward thermally insulating the building and reducing its energy demand sustainability is a concept that can bring back relevance to architecture at all scales on an urban scale they're even greater sup there are even greater challenges as a society as a city how do we build and maintain a better future are we planning our towns and cities sustainably are we developing public places within the urban tissue that encourage social exchange create cultural value and give an overall sense of belonging we must be aware that we shape places and then these places shape us both as individuals and as communities sustainability can provide answers for a better future provided we support it collectively of course sustainability can be applied to other areas and activities I practice sustainable architecture which as I mentioned is about integrating the environmental social and economic issues related to a project let's be creative if money makes the world go round then let's change our currency instead of just having economic value let's integrate environmental and social value into our currency here's the thing I can help you design a comfortable home an efficient office a sustainable environment how can you help design a sustainable future thank you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 28,311

Rating: 4.9122486 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Cyprus, Life, Architecture, Design, Future, Sustainability

Id: K2EXsoiZ-To

Length: 15min 20sec (920 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 22 2015